More than 600 specialists and parents from all over Ukraine developed recommendations for the legalization of the position of assistant for a child with special needs in school and preschool institutions. The recommendations are described in the framework of the Resolution of the All-Ukrainian conference "Education of children with mental disorders. Rights and problems", which took place in Kyiv.
The position of a child's assistant (or tutor) is a component of the educational process of a child with special needs and a condition for the child's education according to his individual program, in accordance with his capabilities, perceptions and needs. The tutor adapts the materials, uses additional ones as needed, involves special methods, promotes the child's socialization and correction of unwanted behavior. Experts call the child's assistant the key to the real inclusion of a child with special needs in regular schools and kindergartens.
According to the recommendations, the child's assistant should be an adult who has sufficient practical experience and competence on the recommendation of the child's parents. Today, in rare cases of a child's assistant, it is, as a rule, one of the parents who does not have a specialized education, or a student.
"It is necessary to ensure a decent quality of life for families and the realization of the rights of children with special needs," says Oleksandr Vilkul, Head of the "Ukrainian Perspective" Foundation, People's Deputy. "That's why we have united today in the desire to develop mechanisms for the realization of this right, and most importantly, to change the attitude of the state and society towards these children, so that they have the necessary conditions for education and adaptation."
"The main components of ensuring the right to education of a child with special educational needs is the opportunity to freely choose the form of education and educational institution," believes Oksana Musienko, Head of the Board of the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation "Alternative. Harmony". - It is important to use world experience, one of the elements of which is the involvement of a child's personal assistant. It is this technology that gives the child a chance for socialization and adaptation in society."
Currently, Ukraine has serious problems and significant miscalculations in the organization of work to ensure the rights of children with mental disabilities to education, health care, and social protection.
One of the most important problems is that the staff lists of preschool, general education and other educational institutions do not provide for the introduction of the position of assistant for a child with special educational needs. This, in turn, is caused by the absence of a corresponding profession in the Classifier of Professions. The participants made this statement at the end of the event.
"In order to ensure the access of a child with mental characteristics, his own assistant is definitely needed. It is the child's assistant, not the teacher's assistant, because they are completely different teachers in terms of functionality. It is very important for us that relevant comprehensive changes are made to the legislation, - says Larisa Rybchenko, director of the Child with the Future Fund for Aid to Children with Autism Syndrome. - And it is equally important to make sure that it works. And for the violation of the human right to education, the responsibility of officials of state authorities, local self-government bodies and educational institutions should be provided."
The inclusion of a child's assistant in a series of regulatory acts will contribute to the creation of conditions for successful learning and socialization of the child, the maximum disclosure of the individual's potential. According to the resolution of the Conference, amendments are proposed to the Law of Ukraine "On General Secondary Education", the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses and a number of orders of the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as the Classifier of Professions.
